Yes, I am actually one of those people who reads the ads in horsey magazines. Yup, I go on a ripping and tearing frenzy with pieces of paper and snippets of articles all over the place!
Once I have all the ads marked or ripped out, I make a neat stack and start researching. I have my Yes, Maybe and No piles. Well, I did that today and I thought I’d bring you along…
As an aside, here is a photo of my husband’s cat, Sirdar. He was my research assistant today as long as I didn’t bother him too much. At one point, he had pages scattered all around his sleeping body, but then he got upset with me and moved. You can see that he is still a bit peeved in this photo.
OK, anyway, back to my research..
PONY PALS
I loved this idea so much and I don’t even have kids!! But, I can remember being a little girl who would have swooned over a bike like this.
I grew up in San Francisco and there was no way my Dad was going to buy me a horse. But, we all had bikes! So, this would have been perfect.
I think this is a very darling and wonderful way to satisfy the “I want a pony”. How cool would this be for your horse crazy child or friend?!
I also love the descriptions:
The mane on the Pony Pals pony bike is made of synthetic hair and can be groomed and washed (see care instructions in the Owner’s Manual).
The saddle seat can be raised or lowered 4 1/2″. The handlebar height is also adjustable.
The tail is designed to “bob” up and down (much like an Arabian horse’s tail) when the pony bike is ridden.
How adorable.
Here is the website. I just love how the saddle (seat) is made by an English saddle maker and the face of the horse was created by a sculptor. I love the attention to detail. What a great idea!
NUZZLE PERFUME
I don’t know what to think about his one… It is advertised as, “An Unspoken Companionship”. ? The ad photo has a crystal emblazoned horse shoe plus hearts in a pink bottle. Is this for me or the horse?
Or both or what? I had to check it out.
Once on the website, I still wasn’t sure if this was perfume made from the fragrance of horses, a perfume horses would like or a perfume for people who like horses. You can imagine where my mind was going with this one…
Finally, a few tabs in, I figured out that it is a perfume for people who like horses. The fragrance is described as: “Nuzzle perfume knows how particular you are. Ribbons of lush Fruity Plum, BlackCurrant, and SweetPineapple are highlighted with touches of juicy Orange and Lime. These essences evoke feelings of freedom, and elation.”
Hmmmm, sounds pretty good. I’d like feelings of freedom and elation on a daily basis. Maybe I need to get me some o’ that NUZZLE… I wish it came with the scratch and sniff testers that you get in Vogue or Vanity Fair magazines. I’m afraid to spend the money just in case no one likes it but my horses. And, judging by the scent notes, I’m pretty sure all of my horses would try to eat my neck if I had this applied. I wonder if I’d get attacked by flying insects…
Anyway, the best part about this product, so far without experiencing it, is that they give a percentage of their sales to Habitat for Horses. That’s nice.
Anyway, let me know if you have it and if you like it! I’m very curious.
I saw this in HORSE AND RIDER magazine. It seemed like a all the other fly masks… but then I looked closer and thought that maybe it could work just a wee bit better.
The idea is that the material used for this fly mask has super UV fighters. So, your lighter colored horse would benefit from wearing this on his pink skin or white patches.
To me, usually the white patches are down on the nose. So, I liked that the nose on the mask is long. And, I am guessing that blue-eyed horses (or any horse) could really benefit. They say it blocks 90% of the UV rays. That made me wonder what other fly masks block… I checked my favorite fly mask and it blocks 70%. Hmmmmm.
The other cool thing is that this company gives the buyer a year guarantee on the sheer weave material. They say it is so well constructed, it will last! It is kinda spendy, so it better.
I know that horses with really light colored eyes and muzzles suffer with sunburn and eye cancers. So, I think their owners might like to know about this product. (I love how the horse’s mane is blowing in the ad…)
I think I ripped this out
of Cowboys and Indians magazine. Truth to tell, the ad was so pretty, I thought it was for furniture. I was kinda shocked to see that it was for paper. Well, not really paper, but paper products.
This would be great at Xmas! Or, great to have around if you go to a lot of horsey parties. The bags, paper, wrapping paper, tissue, etc are all very elegant and not that expensive. I was surprised. Maybe you could paper your horses’ stalls with it. Dunno. I just thought it was very fun!
DONNA HOWELL SICKLES
I greatly appreciate original art. But, I cannot always afford it.
And, I also think that original styling in art should be spread around as often as possible.
Well, when I saw the ad for Donna Howell Sickles, I figured it would be original art that I would love but couldn’t afford. Yup… except this had a twist. On the website, there was a “gift” tab. So, I clicked it.
Yahoo!!! OMG! I love it when artists put their wonderful images on things I can afford. And if those things I can afford are actually thing I want, well Howdy Doody! (I have enough caps and T-shirts for my entire life.) There were several items I wanted…
First, I scrolled down to see scarves. I’m a scarf person. I wear them all winter and sometimes through Spring. Donna has really fun designs that are totally affordable. Score! I was starting to get hopeful…
Next, I saw platters! Yay! We have people over as often as they’ll come and we love to serve with colorful and unusual platters. These were really fun! Of course, she has mugs, but I liked the images since they were her design and I hadn’t seen them before.
Last, I saw cards. I love cards. I love to give them and I love to receive them. So, not only were these designs unusual, but she also had a set with inscriptions. Here are the inscriptions:
Box of Cards?$15.00?3 each of 4 images
1. “Red River Rider”?This cowgirl is every one of us on our best days. Confident and happy, the reins of life grasped firmly in her hand, her broad smile says it all. 
The Chinese characters for “water” are on her saddle blanket and tell us that, for now, life is fluid. The ride today is so smooth – the sky clear and cloudless and the red horse of life so under control – that staying the course, symbolized by her faithful dog, is no problem.
2. “Bedtime Stories”?Stretched out under a starry sky with the fish above her, symbolizing the feminine, the cowgirl reads from the bear’s book of wisdom with its paw print on the cover. The bear is a guardian animal of healing and the maternal but its outstretched claws remind us that it is fierce and wild too. Lying on the checkerboard blanket – an emblem of balance – the cowgirl learns there is a place in life for both strength and softness of heart.
3. “Five Gray Mares”?The laughing cowgirl is in her element, surrounded by faithful companions. She reaches out to the horse in the center with one hand, while her other spells out the word for “joy” in American Sign Language – a reminder that the simplest pleasures in life are often best.
4. “Strings Attached”?When the bull kicks his heels high and sends the cowgirl 
and her hat flying, she’s hurtled from the present into the unknown future. While the big smile on her face tells us she’s enjoying the ride, the striding cowgirl on the right – the reins of life in her hand – reminds us that the future is always informed by the past. Where we’re going next always includes where we’ve been.
Single note cards are available for $2.00 each when included with another purchase. Captions by Peg Streep
So, there you have it… The ads that caught my eye this week. I hope I’ve helped you in some way!
HORSE AND MAN is a blog in growth… if you like this, please pass it around!
